Ashes of the Valentino

When Mark saw me, his eyes widened in shock.

I was so disheveled that he looked at me several times, as if unsure whether it was really me.

I tried to call out, but not a single sound came from my throat. All I could do was wave my hands, desperately begging for help.

He hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned and walked away—only to stop not far around the corner of the hallway.

Faintly, I heard his voice.

"Don Renato, there's a woman covered in blood by the elevator. She looks a lot like Madre…"

Renato. It was him. He was nearby.

Before I could even confirm it, his familiar voice came through.

"That's impossible! I already had her settled in the underground storage and gave her a sedative. She should be resting. How could she be here?"

The moment I recognized his voice, I tried to scream, but a bodyguard clamped a hand over my mouth.

My throat, already unable to produce sound, was completely silenced.

All I could do was listen.

"Don Renato, maybe you should come take a look. She doesn't seem to be in good condition. If it really is Madre, then both she and the baby could be in danger…"

Mark still sounded uneasy. He had followed Renato for years and was deeply trusted by him.

After Mark finished speaking, there was a tense silence. I knew Renato was hesitating.

Hope surged again, my heart leaping into my throat.

"Alright, I'll go take a look. If it's Ellen—"

Just as he was about to come, I finally let out a breath of relief.

But before he could finish his sentence, a doctor's voice rang out, calling for Renato.

"Don Renato! Madam Lina is having abdominal pain. It looks like the baby may be in distress!"

"And Madam Lina says she doesn't want you to leave her side. She hopes you won't go far."

"Understood. I'm coming right away."

Renato answered without hesitation.

"Mark, my sister-in-law needs me right now. That woman can't possibly be Ellen. If it were her, she'd have already come here, making a scene, demanding money and status for her child. How could she be this quiet?"

"But… what if—"

Mark tried to persuade him further, but Renato's footsteps were already fading away.

The bodyguard's hand still clamped over my mouth. I could only let my tears fall in silence.

Soon, the hallway fell completely quiet.

Renato—the man I once believed I could rely on for the rest of my life—chose to believe others over his own wife. In that moment, every trace of my love for him vanished.

Sophia returned shortly after, looking at me with smug satisfaction.

"Ellen, turns out Renato doesn't care about you that much after all. The only thing he cares about is the heir to our family. To him, you're nothing more than a breeding machine."

I closed my eyes and didn't look at her again.

My consciousness was sinking. My body, once heavy, now felt strangely light.

Aside from the constant pain, the baby's movements were growing weaker and weaker.

If this continued, both my child and I would die.

I let out a faint breath and slowly reached for the ring on my right index finger.

My father had commissioned it, a custom piece designed with a hidden mechanism.

As long as I pressed the gemstone, he would know I was in danger—and within twenty minutes, he would be able to locate me and come to my rescue.

I used to think I would never need it.

After all, Renato had once loved me with his life.

Now, thinking back on it… I had been unbelievably foolish.

Groping for the ring, I pressed the gemstone with all the strength I had left.